Cyril Gwynn (1897-1988), also known as The Bard Of Gower, was “a tall, sunburnt, unsmiling farmer”. Gareth Gwynn (1983-Present) is none of these things. Gareth did not spend the First World War in the Merchant Navy, nor has he ever been shipwrecked, run a farm or tried to emigrate to Australia – but he’s found a book of poems by his great-grandfather, and he’s determined to find something they have in common. This is still a work-in-progress, but also, some of it is over 80 years old – so it’s safe to say, those bits are run-in. It probably balances out.
Gwynn (1983 ed.) has written for The News Quiz, The Now Show, Have I Got News For You and many more. He is the co-writer of Ankle Tag (BBC Radio 4), Tourist Trap (BBC One Wales) and The Goodies: The Big Ben Theory (An Audible Special). On BBC Radio 4 he presented Gareth Gwynn Hasn’t Fin- (“Hilarious” – The Guardian) and is the co-presenter of the multi-award nominated comedy/history podcast I’m So Not Over It. We sat down with Gareth to discuss his upcoming show.
Let’s start with the big one – Cyril Gwynn is your Great-Grandfather, what made you want to create a comedy show about him?
It came about in a slightly odd way. Cyril was a seafarer and farmer but also a poet and, between the wars, he became a bit of a local celebrity in Gower, which is a rural area just beyond Swansea (if you’re approaching from the Camden direction!)
These poems were all about the area and local characters. He’d write them while ploughing fields and then perform them in pubs at night around Gower. By the 1970s, he was long retired from the seafaring, farming and poetry games, but was encouraged to publish them in a small book.
Growing up, I’d given it a cursory look from time to time, but in 2022 I was invited to an event at The Gower Festival about poets from Swansea. They asked if I would read some of them out – and they were much funnier than I was expecting. So it was standing on-stage in Reynoldston Village Hall when I thought “oh, there’s something in this…”
What’s it like digging into your family history with a comedian’s eye?
Honestly, I think the trick has been keeping the rest of the family away!
The first time I did this, outside of Gower, I booked an hour in the Machynlleth comedy festival, to see if there was anything in the idea, and I put in the brochure “Family members are banned.” I was completely serious. I appreciate now it looked like I was going to lay down some long-hidden scandal, but I had to trial it in front of people who weren’t pre-disposed to the material or going to fact-check me mid-gig.
I want to lock the jokes down first and then deal with any factual issues later and I am treating the Camden Fringe as a work in progress still, but I’ve not formally banned anyone from these gigs yet and am purely relying on the distance from South Wales to put off any Gwynns from turning up. Let’s see how determined they are!
Incredibly (and despite my hard-line stance on matters regarding attendance) my family have actually been really supportive of the whole idea. My uncle has provided me with letters and poems that didn’t make the book – as well as a couple of newspaper articles about him from the time. I’ve also got the notes my dad made from a talk he gave about Cyril in the 1990s, the problem being my dad died a few years ago so when his notes just say “Pigs Story Here”, I have no idea what he means!
Actually, if anyone knew Cyril and can elaborate, do get in touch.
Were there any discoveries that genuinely surprised you?
Yes, but I almost don’t want to mention them here and save them for the show. But I have been constantly dogged by the question of how Cyril would feel about it being left to me to tell his life story. I’m not entirely convinced we’d get on!
You’ve worked on some of the biggest shows in comedy – The News Quiz, Have I Got News For You, Ankle Tag – how different is it putting together something as personal and solo as Cyril?
The great thing about writing for shows like The News Quiz and Have I Got News For You is there’s a person/character you’re writing for and it’s fun capturing their voice and writing jokes which could only work for them. During my own very brief foray into stand-up many years ago, that was something I know I never quite got right.
In the meantime, as well as writing, I’ve done quite a bit of radio presenting and also podcasting, co-presenting the show I’m So Not Over It with Esyllt Sears and, in particular, doing the live shows for that have really helped me work out the version of me that makes sense on-stage.
Ahead of doing Cyril, I went back to gigging, to work up the material (although I’ve spared the open mic audiences 90 year old poems), but also to get my head around me as a character. It’s been a really enjoyable part of the process and easily been the biggest difference from my day job.
Cyril will be part of the Camden Fringe – what drew you to the festival, and how does it feel to be bringing this story to that kind of stage? What do you hope audiences take away from the show?
I’ve been to shows at the Camden Fringe so many times and I always knew, from the moment I started writing it, it would be a key part of working the show up. At some point I had to try performing Cyril’s poems outside Gower and, eventually, outside of Wales. Come to think of it, I wonder if this is the first time Cyril’s stuff has been performed in London? It might be!
Anyway, I’m absolutely thrilled I’ve got three consecutive nights in a great venue (Aces and Eights) to work towards and potentially tweak across the run. But as for what people may or may not take away? Look, if you’re from Gower, you’ll may well leave with a specific anecdote about a family member. If you’re from further afield, you’ll have to wait and see!
Catch Gareth Gwynn: Cyril at the Camden Fringe 28th-30th July. Tickets are available here.